Chapter 241 Rebellion
Zhao Ji's wife didn't think too much about it at first.
But ever since she witnessed with her own eyes how Su Qingqing and Jixiang managed to drive away the two thousand soldiers outside with just the strength of the two of them, she felt that this princess might not be that simple.
There is also the general named Wang.
Although Zhao Ji and his wife did not think in other directions at that time, what happened later made them put the whole thing together and think about it carefully. The couple agreed that the general surnamed Wang was indeed obeying Su Qingqing's orders, not Rong Que.
Logically speaking, General Wang is from the Great Yan Dynasty, so he should be loyal to the Crown Prince rather than the Crown Princess.
Thinking of Su Qingqing's mention of being familiar with the people in the city's ink and brush shop, Mrs. Zhao Ji now plucked up the courage to ask, "I wonder if the queen and the prince know any news in Kyoto. My younger brother has been missing for a long time. Over the years, I have asked people to inquire about his news but have never been able to find out."
Su Qingqing's lips trembled slightly.
That day, she opened her eyes for the first time after recovering from a serious illness. Zhao Ji's wife came to visit her and mentioned her younger brother. Su Qingqing had asked Jixiang to inquire about him.
But what happened later was too sudden and too urgent, and Jixiang was simply unable to cope with it.
Unexpectedly, before Jixiang had the chance to inquire anything, Mrs. Zhao Ji couldn't help but come to ask again.
If the last time was a test, then this time, Su Qingqing was frank, "Does your brother have another name, Zhao Rongzhe?"
Mrs. Zhao Ji's eyes suddenly widened.
She came to inquire, just holding on to a glimmer of hope, thinking that General Wang was Wang Yu, and she wanted to find out more about the Su family army from Su Qingqing.
She never expected that the other party would just throw such a sentence at her.
Mrs. Zhao Ji was so emotional for a moment that she opened her mouth but no sound came out.
It was Zhao Ji who stood aside and answered earnestly, "Yes, my brother-in-law does have a name called Zhao Rongzhe, but this was his name before he was six years old. Later, because of his poor health, his family hired a fortune-teller to change his name to Zhao Jiekang. How did Your Majesty know?"
Su Qingqing smiled and said, "If Zhao Rongzhe is Zhao Jiekang, then you two don't have to worry. Your brother is safe and sound now. When the Su family army got into trouble, Lieutenant General Zhao and Deputy General Wang were arrested and imprisoned in the Kyoto Prison.
Later, due to various incidents in the Nishiyama Camp in Kyoto, His Majesty released the two generals out of consideration for their old friendship.
Vice Admiral Wang stayed in Beijing and served as the commander of the Xishan Camp, while Lieutenant General Zhao was sent to the northwest, with the horses under the command of the Duke of Zhenguo, some of which were left behind by the Su family army. "
When Mr. and Mrs. Zhao heard this, they both breathed a sigh of relief .
It’s good to be alive. It’s good for this person to be alive.
But after I breathed a sigh of relief, I felt confused again.
Why would a good person change his name?
Mrs. Zhao Ji wiped her tears with red eyes. "When he joined the army, his registered name was clearly Zhao Jiekang. How come it became his original name?"
Su Qingqing smiled and said, "General Zhao has made many contributions over the years, and the court has commended him many times and awarded him many rewards. Have you ever seen General Zhao bring those rewards and honors back to Datong County?"
Everyone wants to return home in glory, but since Mrs. Zhao Ji's younger brother joined the army, he only wrote some letters home and never mentioned anything about his time in the army.
So much so that Zhao Ji and his wife always thought he was just a small soldier.
But I didn't expect that he was actually a lieutenant general.
Su Qingqing took the initiative to explain without waiting for the other party to ask, "It's nothing. Most of the deputy generals and lieutenant generals of the Su family army changed their names after being promoted. They only improved their family's living conditions, but did not bring back much glory.
It's also to protect my family.
The Su family army was so famous that it was inevitable that some people had evil intentions and could not defeat the Su family army on the battlefield, so they resorted to shady tactics behind the scenes.
To avoid this problem, they all changed their names.
Perhaps Lieutenant General Zhao knew that the two of them were living well, so he did not send any money home, but only wrote some letters to keep in touch.
As for being released later...
I think Lieutenant General Zhao is afraid that the court will go back on its word, which would implicate you two."
After Su Qingqing's explanation, there was nothing left for Zhao Ji and his wife to not understand.
Knowing that her brother was safe and sound was the greatest comfort to Mrs. Zhao Ji. She wiped her tears and thanked Su Qingqing.
Only then did Zhao Ji bring up another topic.
"Your Highness, Madam, the world is in turmoil right now. Outside the northeast, Prince Yu is eyeing us covetously. In the northwest, Marquis Rong'an is ready to make a move. The court has also issued a death order against His Highness the Crown Prince. In this chaotic situation, I wonder what Your Highness wants to do in the future?"
As he spoke, Zhao Ji clasped his fists, his eyes full of sincerity.
"Although I hold a low position, I am still the magistrate of a county. If Your Highness is willing, Datong County is willing to serve as Your Highness's rear base."
Zhao Ji's words were very clear and could be said to be frank.
"Besides, your highness's troops have not arrived yet. If your highness and the queen leave rashly, they may easily encounter danger. As for the people in the city, your highness can rest assured. The scene of the queen fighting the bandits while sick has brought too much shock to the people in the city. At present, the people in the city only have gratitude to the queen and your highness. The previous incident of sitting around the county government office will never happen again."
Rong Que waved his hand.
“Master Zhao misunderstood. How could I think that? It’s just that it’s unfair to the people of Datong County for us to stay in Datong County.
Lord Zhao understands the court's attitude towards me. If I stay here, Datong County will definitely not be at peace."
Zhao Ji licked his lips, "Then Your Highness..."
Su Qingqing smiled and replied, "We are going to head south and return to Zhao State. We will take the time to plan the rest."
Zhao Ji and his wife looked at each other.
Since the couple had already made the decision, there was no point in trying to persuade them. Having received the news about her brother, Mrs. Zhao Ji felt relieved.
As the four were talking, someone suddenly ran in hurriedly from outside.
"My lord, something bad has happened!"
The person who ran in was one of Zhao Ji's aides, named Xuanyu.
As soon as he entered the room, he bowed to Su Qingqing and Rong Que, his eyes full of anxiety and solemnity, and his breathing was disordered.
"I just received news that Rong An Hou has rebelled!"
It had only been a few days since they received the news that Marquis Rong'an had fled Kyoto, and this... Marquis Rong'an had rebelled so openly?
Manyu took a breath and continued, "Marquis Rong'an led an army of 30,000 troops from Qibei and approached Kyoto. He has already recovered seven or eight cities along the way."
He paused.
"According to the route from Qibei to Beijing, the most convenient and quickest way is to go through Shanxi, and if you go through Shanxi, you have to pass through Datong."
